Lackland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
On the Scottish west coast, the Lackland family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the personal name Lachlann. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Lachlainn, denoting the son of Lachlann. Although most feel Lachlan Mor, a great Chief who lived by Loch Fyne in the thirteenth century, is the Clan founder, the legend of descent from the ancient Gaelic King, Niall of the Nine Hostages, who reigned in 400 AD, offers some clues as to the clan's early origins.
Lochlann, in old Gaelic means literally, 'Norway,' and was the favorite Christian name of the royal house of O'Neill in Northern Ireland, a house descended from Niall of the Nine hostages, and said to be the family with the oldest history in Europe. A branch of the O'Neill's took the surname MacLochlain and soon became rival Kings to the O'Neills.
King Brian O'Neill slew the last King Domnall MacLochlainn. His son Anrothan, who was ancestor of the MacLachlans in Scotland, married the daughter of the King of Scots, thereby gaining the inheritance of Cowall and Knapdale in Scotland. Anrothan MacLachlan was progenitor of the MacLachlans of Strathlachlan, the Lamonts, the Lyons, the MacSorleys, the MacEwans, and the MacMillans. It was in the mid-twelfth century that each of these branches separated into distinct entities.
Early Origins of the Lackland family
The surname Lackland was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where this Clan first settled in Scotland in 1100 when Lachlan was heir of Fergus, Lord of Galloway. In 1238, a charter recorded Lachlan Mor's father increasing the endowment to Paisley Abbey.
When, in 1292, King John Baliol erected Argyll into a sheriffdom, Gillescop MacLachlan was one of the twelve principal barons whose land it encompassed. In 1296, Ewen MacLachlan was forced to swear loyalty to the English King Edward I, but this loyalty was formally changed back to Scotland in 1305, when Gillescop MacLachlan, like his neighbors the Campbells, swore allegiance to Robert the Bruce. Gillescop was a member of the Barons of Bruce's first parliament at St. Andrews, in 1308. 1
King John of England (reigned: 1199-1216) was also known as John Lackland from the Norman French, "Johan sanz Terre" or "John without land."
Early History of the Lackland family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lackland research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1292, 1600 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lackland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lackland Spelling Variations
In various documents Lackland has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacLachlan, Lachlan, MacLachlane, McGlothan, McGlothin, MacLauchlan, MacLauchlane, MacLauchlin, MacLaughlin, Lauchlan and many more.
Early Notables of the Lackland family
More information is included under the topic Early Lackland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Lackland family to Ireland
Some of the Lackland family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lackland migration to the United States +
Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Lackland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Robert Lackland, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 2
Lackland migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Lackland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- John Lackland, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1871
- John Lackland, aged 15, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 3
- George Lackland, aged 13, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 3
- Georgina Lackland, aged 17, a housemaid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Lackland (post 1700) +
- Brigadier General Frank Lackland (1834-1943), American Army officer from Fauquier County, Virginia, Commanding officer of the First Wing at March Field, California, eponym of Lackland Air Force Base, located in Bexar County, Texas
- Ben Lackland (1901-1959), American Broadway and early-television actor from Waco, Texas, best known for his starring role as "Commissioner of Public Safety Charles Carey" on Captain Video and His Video Rangers, a science fiction television series (1949-1955)
- Brigadier-General Frank Dorwin Lackland (1884-1943), American Commanding General of the 1st Wing, General Headquarters Air Force, March Field, California (1940-1942) 4
- Henry C. Lackland, American politician, Delegate to Missouri State Constitutional Convention 10th District, 1875 5
The Lackland Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Fortis et fidus
Motto Translation: Brave and trusty.
Citations +
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Frank Lackland. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lackland/Frank_Dorwin/USA.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html